This invention relates to an easy opening handled carton. More particularly, this invention relates to a handled carton that has a tear strip to provide for an opening of the full top of the carton.
Many products such as pet foods are sold in large bags. These bags range in size from 20 pound to 40 pound and larger bags. These bags can be difficult to handle and further may not provide sufficient protection for the pet food or similar products when they are of a less hardened consistency. In such an instance a different type of package is needed. An effective type of package is a bag in a box package. The bag is of a structure to maintain the freshness of the product while the box will provide physical integrity protection for the contained pet food product. Further, this type of package provides for more effective stacking at the warehouse or retail store. Also, the bag-in-a-box of the present design provides for easy handling and easy opening.
There also is an additional advantage of the bag-in-a-box of the present design to the user. The box will stand on end and provide a neat package for using and storing the product. The box or carton is easily maneuvered by the handles. It is easily opened through the use of the tear strip. This allows two major flaps on one end to be opened. When opened, the bag is exposed and can be opened. The bag can be opened to remove product and reclosed by the use of a twist tie, or if it has a zipper, the closing of the zipper. The box will hold the bag upright throughout use. This is in contrast to a bag which somehow must be supported during use and layed down after use. Such bags when layed down take up more shelf or floor space.
There is a further advantage of this bag-in-a-box in that the bag can be constructed of much thinner laminate film. These bags will have a multi-ply film with the different plies providing differing properties. These include moisture barrier, organic barrier for flavors and nutrients, oxygen barrier and strength and puncture resistant plies. By the box providing strength and integrity to the overall package, the bag weight can be reduced with a cost savings for the bag. For instance, strength and puncture resistant plies can be minimized.
This invention relates to a bag in a box package that is easy to handle and easy to open. Further this package structure provides for an easy stacking of the product at the retail outlet and protection for the product. The box part of the package has at least two handles and an easy opening tear strip.
This present package is comprised of a bag which can be a monolayer or multilayer laminate comprised of metal foils and/or plastics. The structure of the bags will be dependent on the requirements of the product to be packaged, usually a pet food product. The box is of a three-piece structure. There are top and bottom pieces, and a body piece comprising the sidewalls and the associated top and bottom flaps. The top flaps will be attached to the top piece and the bottom flaps to the bottom piece. The top piece will have an easy opening device such as a tear strip. The tear strip will extend longitudinally across the top of the box and optionally down a part of the sidewall to the area of the handle openings.
The body piece is comprised of the front and rear walls and the two sidewalls. The sidewalls will each have a handle aperture in the upper portion of each sidewall. These apertures are sized to permit about four fingers to extend through the aperture. In a preferred embodiment the gripping end of the tear strip to open the top of the box will form part of the top of one of the apertures. In this way it can easily be gripped and pulled to open the top of the box. The tear strip will extend up the sidewall to the top of the box, and then across the top. When the tear strip is removed, the main top panels can be opened by breaking weakened perforated areas on two sides. The bag then is opened. Although the bag can be removed from the box, it will be retained in the box since the products in the bag are easier to store in this condition.
The box can be constructed of paperboard or corrugate. It is preferred that the box be a corrugate box. Such boxes provide high strength at a low weight.